Patti Smith on how it felt
OK, my friends. After my words, I offer here Patti Smith's words about her experience at the Nobel ceremony. Nobody could say it better.
décembre 2016
Patti Smith’s transcendant Nobel moment
A beautiful moment of grace last night, in between news of Aleppo's tragedy, suicide bombs in Istanbul, merchants and vacuous celebrities preparing to take over America, polluted Paris coughing and gasping: Patti Smith singing Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" at the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm. Winner of the Nobel Literature prize, Dylan declined [...]
Winter moon, endangered planet
It's still cold here in Paris, and the skies are pristine blue, different shades by day and night. Not a cloud in sight. But the pollution is so bad that the mayor has established alternate-day rules for cars: Only cars with even-numbered license plates could circulate today, tomorrow only odd numbers can circulate. And public [...]
Another day
Only a few minutes to make an entry here this morning before heading to the weekend retreat. So no original image (for the moment), which is "intentional" if only because I have no time to add one. Our weekly talk last night after sitting was something about tracing one's unique, invisible, clear, precise, mysterious path [...]
Heart of Life/Coeur de la vie: Day/Jour V
Good morning from Paris, a bit "late" again. And again, thank you all for your participation in this retreat, each in your own way. And thank you for the many kind birthday wishes you have offered me. Please contribute again today; it's all so beautiful. (I'll try to post again tomorrow, too, just so we [...]
Heart of Life/Coeur de la vie: Day/Jour IV
Please forgive me: For some reason this post did not appear this morning! So only getting it online this afternoon. My most humble apologies: Good morning everyone. I'm coming a bit late to the game today; I gave myself a brief much-needed break... It's another superbly clear and cold day here in Montreuil. From [...]
novembre 2016
Heart of Life/Coeur de la vie: Day/Jour III
I love the dying light of early winter morning today. I can't explain why. Maybe it's the rich paleness of it or the simplicity of its spareness. It's like the fallen red berries on my garden path: the fruit of life meeting its certain end. Now green tea at my desk again after brief sitting. [...]
Heart of Life/Coeur de la vie: Day/Jour II
It's a new day. Thanks to all for your comments. Keep it up. And please don't forget to tell us where you are, what city or country or street or neighborhood... On my way home from sitting last night, in the bitter cold, I was reminded of a sentence from the late French writer Georges [...]
Heart of Life/Coeur de la vie: Day/Jour I
Good morning from Montreuil. Quietly awakening here with some green tea and the cat, thinking of all you other retreat participants (those who signed up to join and those who didn't): We're all in this together. I like that thought. But wait a minute... Who is "we"? If I expand my notion of "we," where [...]
A perfect place to begin
Sunday afternoon in Montreuil, overcast sky. Unlike this morning, when there was a brilliant sun illuminating the Place Jean Jaurès, which was filled with people buying bread, groceries, flowers, the Sunday papers, visiting the Christmas market in the chill. I was again struck by how different this neighborhood has become since I moved here 20 [...]
